Hussein's sentence is appealed

BAGHDAD — Lawyers for Saddam Hussein on Sunday formally appealed the death sentence handed down against the former president last month by an Iraqi court.

Hussein and two other senior members of his regime were sentenced to hang for the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims in retaliation for a 1982 attempt on his life in the town of Dujayl, north of the capital.

Under Iraqi law, a nine-judge appellate panel automatically reviews all death sentences, but defense lawyers must submit detailed arguments within 30 days of their passage. If the sentence is upheld, it must be carried out within 30 days.